Last but not least

I know it seems like our whole life is a permanent vacation, but the truth is that it is pretty much only when others come to visit that we go on vacation ourselves, and do all the "tourist" things in St. Kitts. This is one of those times! Our last adventure with Darin and Lori before they had to fly home to their 5 children took a few twists and turns, but turned out to be an unforgettable day. After our large catamaran cruise was cancelled, we came up with a new plan- to rent our own mini-catamaran's and sail to Nevis (the island next to us) and eat lunch at Nesbit's Plantation.

What a great idea!

Lori was a little nervous about the plan, she was on the phone with her kids right up until we left. (Just in case. This probably wasn't really why, but we did have a discussion at this time about where our wills are located and who is supposed to take our children should something happen to us.)

Getting the boats ready for sea!

We had a small detour when Darin and Lori's sail broke and they were stranded out in the water. We had to sail close enough to grab their rope and tow them back to shore for a new boat. It was the best adventure for 2 brothers who are sportsmen at heart. In their minds the broken sail was the best thing that could have happened!

Finally back on our way to Nevis. We saw probably 6 or 7 leatherback sea turtles swimming right next to us. Remember they can get over 1000 lbs. They were huge!

After a long trip, we finally arrived at Nesbit's Plantation for lunch. We've been there before, by car/ferry, so this was fun to just sail up to shore and sit down for lunch. It is beautiful there so it was worth the hard work in sailing ourselves over into the wind and through the large waves when we got close to shore.

Brothers laughing about the adventures of the last few hours.

Time to make the trip back (you'll see the southern peninsula of St. Kitts in the background.)

Something we were glad to experience during our time here!

Zip with Adrian

Brennan's first zip on video

Continuing Brennan's birthday fun

We promised Brennan a year ago when the zip-line opened that we would take him IF he could reach the 60 lb. requirement by his 8th birthday. It was pretty tense at weigh-in time, but he came in at 62 lbs. It was rainy and wet but we still had a great time. There are 5 different lines that take you over and through the rainforest, with the fastest one going 40 mph. The longest one is 1350 feet long, 250 feet above the ground. Great fun!

Before we started the zip-line, we had to hold and take pictures of the 3-week-old monkey.

So much fun to have Uncle Darin and Aunt Lori here for a few days that flew by much too quickly.

Not really sure why we have a picture of Brennan posing with a machete. I'm not sure what they use the machete for either.

A great time! Brennan wasn't scared at all and loved every minute of it.

Baptism day

We had a wonderful day on Brennan's birthday, April 17th, with the highlight being his baptism. He was baptized with another young lady in the branch. The picture you see with all the children up front was the closing song when all the Primary children sang "Holding Hands Around the World." It was a special experience.

Brennan's birthday party

We had a wonderful few days last weekend, with friends and some family here to join us in celebrating Brennan's 8th birthday. Thank you to all of you who traveled and helped out and participated in all the activities surrounding his special birthday! Here are a few random pictures from the birthday party Friday afternoon. We all had a great time, especially the father's who "had" to help the children on the water trampoline and on the motorboat-pulled water raft. Sorry about Jamie's wedding ring that is now somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.

A big week

We have lots going on this week. Brennan's 8th birthday is on Saturday, April 17th. We are preparing for his baptism on Saturday, his birthday party on Friday, and visitors who are flying all the way from Arizona and Colorado to be here for his special weekend. When I say "we" are preparing, I mean "me," Adrian is in Orlando this week at a conference and hopefully not frequenting Disney World without us on his free day. He will fly home (please don't let the plane be delayed) within the hour right before the birthday party.

Speaking of the party, if you are reading this, consider yourself invited. Doesn't it look fun?

The early bird gets the worm

You would think that a person who lives here would know that if you wait until 4 days before Easter to buy potatoes, you have waited too long. All the potatoes that existed in any supermarket (and I use that term loosely) are already gone. Silly me.

Dating

At what age do you tell them, "I know we let you have a date and watch a movie with your arm around her, but now you're not allowed to date for at least 13+ more years." The complicated decisions of parenthood....